Truck.



G. F. FAULKNER.

TRUCK.

APPLIOATION FILED :020.18, 1911.

Patented June 18, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEBT l.

COLUMBIA PLANouRAPH c0..wAsmNnToN. D. c.

C. F. PAULKNER.

TRUCK.

APPLIOATION FILED 1329.18, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CLuMlA ELANQGRAPM C0,.WASH|NGTON. n. C.

unirse stares earner onirica.

CHARLES F. FAULKNER, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA,v ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO LURA IB. FAULKNER, OF COREY, ALABAMA.

TRUCK.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 18, 1912.

To all whom i?? may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. FAULE- NER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Birmingham, county of Jefferson, and

State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trucks, of which the following-is a specification.

My invention relatesto trucks and particularly to t-he trucks used in textile mills for carrying the stock and the spools, quills and bobbins from one machine to t-he other, and known in the art as boxes The boxes such as are now used are mounted upon wheels or casters in order that they may be readily trundled from machine to machine, and are objectionable in t-hat their capacity is insuicient and as it requires an operator of great physical strength and endurance to operate the same throughout a. days work. The insufficient capacity is due to the fact that the length and breadth of the device must be limited in order not to take up too much floor space in the factory and its depth must be limited to the reach of the operator leaning over the side thereof. The unloading of the boxes, particularly in reaching for the lowermost portions of the load, is a severe strain upon the operator and a great tax even upon those of superior strength'and endurance.

The object of my invention is to provide a device of the class under consideration which shall occupy no more licor space than those now in use` but which will carry a much larger load.

A further object is to provide a device of increased capacity which may be loaded and unloaded without tax upon the strength and endurance of the operator.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

With these objects in view my invention consists generally in a box of thel character mentioned comprising lixed sides and ends mounted upon rollers or casters, a movable bottom, and improved means for raising and lowering the same.

My invention further consists in various details of construction and arrangements of parts all as will be fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in whichh Figure l is a side elevation of a textile box embodying my invention `in its preferred form illustrating the bottom in lowermost position and the mechanism in position for raising the same, Fig. Q is a plan view thereof, Fig. 3 is an elevation similar to Fig. l illustrating the bottom in raised position and the mechanism arranged ready for lowering the same, Fig. 4 is a detail view upon an enlarged scale of the operating mechanism, Fig. 5 is an elevation of the sheave shaft of the operating mechanism, and Fig. 6 is a detail section on the line -m of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings l and 2 indicate the sides and the ends of the box respectively which are rigidly secured together in any suitable manner as by corner brackets 3 and the body thus formed is mounted upon the usual casters Il. The body formed by the sides and ends l and 2 is substantially the same length and breadth as that of the usual boxes but the depth thereof is considerably greater in order to increase the capacity. lith the increase in the depth .of the body it would be im possible for the operator to reach over the side and remove the contents from the bottom and for this reason l provide a vertically movable bottom and equip the device with means for readily raising and lowering the same. l/Vith a device of this character the operator does not have to lean over the side but may remove the contents it is gradually raised within easy reach.

5 indicates the movable bottom which is supported by cords or cables 6 secured preferably to each corner thereof.

' Mounted adjacent the top at one end of the device is a transverse shaft 7 having bearings in suitable brackets 8.. This shaft is provided adjacent its ends with sheaves 9 upon which the cords or cables 6 are wound to raise the bottom. Each sheave is divided into two parts 10 and 1l and upon the parts 10 are wound the cables extending to the adjacent end of the bottom. Upon the parts 1l are wound the cables extending to the opposite end of the bottom which cables extend over intermediate grooved wheels 12 mounted upon stud shafts 13 on the inner face of the sides 1 adjacent the upper edge. It is obvious that by turning the shaft 7 the bottom 5 may be readily raised and lowered. The shaft 7 is extended beyond one side of the body and to the projecting end 14 is fixed a ratchet wheel 15. j

16 indicates an operating lever one end of which is preferably bifurcated` to rest astride the ratchet wheel and engage the shaft. The bifurcated end is formed by a pair of plates 17 secured to the end of the lever portion parallel with each other, and said plates at their outer ends are upwardly and outwardly notched as at 18 to engage the shaft 7 each side of the ratchet wheel 15.

Mounted between the plates 17 is av dog 19 adapted to engage the ratchet wheel 15 and provided with a lug Q() engaged by a spring 21 on the lever to hold the same in yielding` engagement with said wheel. The lever normally rests in inclined position extending downwardly along the sides of the device as indicated in Fig. 1 and rests on a. stop or bracket 22 provided for this purpose. The dog 19 is pivotally mounted on a pin 23 and is formed or provided with a weighted arm 24 which, when the lever is in lowermost position, is upon the opposite side of the pin 23 from the opposite end of the dog. The spring 21r is preferably pivotally attached to the lever as at 25 in order that the same may be turned out of engagement with the dog when desired, after which the weight 24 will throw the dog out of engagement with the ratchet when the lever is lowered.

Mounted beneath the ratchet on a pin 26 is a second dog or pawl 27 provided with oppositely extending substantially horizontal arms 28 and 29 respectively, the ends of which are perforated as shown. A weight 30 is normally att-ached to the perforated end of the arm 2S and holds the pawl in engagement with the ratchet. When the weight is so arranged and the spring 21 is in engagement with the lug 20, the bottom 5 may be readily raised by oscillating the lever 16, as is obvious. When it is desired to lower the bottom the weight 30 is disengaged from the arm 28 and attached to the arm 29, then by slightly raising the lever to relieve the pressure from t-he pawl 27, said pawl will drop out of engagement with the ratchet wheel.- The spring 21 is then thrown out of engagement with the dog and the lever 16 dropped, and the weighted arm 24 throws the dog 19 out of engagement with the ratchet wheel. It is obvious that the bot tom is then free to move downwardly as it will do of its own weight. To control thev dropping of the bottom I provide the shaft 7 with a brake wheel 31 and secure a strap 32, preferably leather, to the end of the body as atr33. This strap passes up over the wheel 31 and the end 34 thereof may be grasped by the operator prior 'to dropping the lever and it is obvious that by pulling more or less on the strap the dropping of the bottom may be readily controlled.

'The purposes and operation of the device have been fully described in detail with the description of the device itself and need not be again recited.

I-Iaving described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A textile box comprising fixed sides` and ends mounted upon casters, a vertically movable bottom, a shaft extending transversely of the box at the upper portion of one end thereof, sheaves fixed yto said shaft adjacent its ends, cables extending from said sheaves to said bottom, a ratchet wheel on said shaft, a lever loosely mounted on said shaft, a dog on said lever adapted to engage said ratchet wheel,l a spring for normally holding said dog in engagement with said ratchet wheel and adapted to be disengaged from said dog, a weighted arm on said dog, a pawl mounted adjacent said ratchet wheel and adapted to engage the same and means for holding said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet, substantially as described.

2. A textile box comprising vfixed sides and ends mounted upon casters, a vertically movable bottom, a shaft extending transversely of the box at the upper portion of one end thereof, sheaves on said shaft, cables extending from said sheaves tosaid bottom, one end of said shaft being extended beyond the sides of the box, a ratchet wheel on said extended end, a lever loosely mounted on said shaft, a' dog on said lever adapted to eng-age said ratchet, means for normally holding said dog ,in engagement with said ratchet, said means being adapted to be thrown into inoperative position, meansY for disengaging said dog from said ratchet when the last said means is in inoperative position and the lever lowered, a pawl mounted adjacent said ratchet and having oppositely extending arms and means for detachably engaging either of said arms to throw said pawl into or out of operative position as desired, substantially as described., Y

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of tw`o subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES F. FAULKNER.

Witnesses:

J. P. CoUeH, S. J. PATTERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

